Full Council Minutes — 18 February 2026

The Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Full Council held on 18 February 2026 constitute the official and legally binding record of the business conducted, decisions made, and votes cast at that meeting. Confirmed as a correct record at the subsequent Full Council meeting on 15 April 2026 and signed by the Mayor, Councillor Patricia Hendricks, these minutes are a permanent public document available for inspection in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 and the Access to Information provisions of the Local Authorities (Meetings and Access to Information) Regulations 2012.

Forty-two Members were present, with apologies received from three Councillors. Two declarations of interest were recorded: Councillor Ahmed declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in the community safety grants item and left the room accordingly; Councillor Okafor declared an other registrable interest in the adult social care fees item but remained and voted.

The most significant business at this meeting was the setting of the Council’s budget and council tax for 2026/27. Following substantive debate, Full Council resolved by 36 votes in favour, 5 against, and 1 abstention to approve a net revenue budget of £24,780,000, agree a 2.99% increase in the Ambridge District element of the council tax (resulting in a Band D charge of £182.34), approve a Capital Programme of £6,240,000, and note the Medium Term Financial Strategy projections to 2029/30. This was the Council’s principal financial decision of the municipal year.

Other business included three public questions on the Southgate Post Office closure, the Affordable Housing Delivery Plan timeline, and the Ambridge Park CCTV outage; approval of the Scrutiny Work Programme for 2026; and the award of community safety grants totalling £87,500. The Mayor’s announcements recorded civic engagements including the Armed Forces Covenant signing and the opening of the Riverside Recreation Ground pavilion.The Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Full Council held on 18 February 2026 constitute the official and legally binding record of the business conducted, decisions made, and votes cast at that meeting. Confirmed as a correct record at the subsequent Full Council meeting on 15 April 2026 and signed by the Mayor, Councillor Patricia Hendricks, these minutes are a permanent public document available for inspection in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 and the Access to Information provisions of the Local Authorities (Meetings and Access to Information) Regulations 2012.

Forty-two Members were present, with apologies received from three Councillors. Two declarations of interest were recorded: Councillor Ahmed declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in the community safety grants item and left the room accordingly; Councillor Okafor declared an other registrable interest in the adult social care fees item but remained and voted.

The most significant business at this meeting was the setting of the Council’s budget and council tax for 2026/27. Following substantive debate, Full Council resolved by 36 votes in favour, 5 against, and 1 abstention to approve a net revenue budget of £24,780,000, agree a 2.99% increase in the Ambridge District element of the council tax (resulting in a Band D charge of £182.34), approve a Capital Programme of £6,240,000, and note the Medium Term Financial Strategy projections to 2029/30. This was the Council’s principal financial decision of the municipal year.

Other business included three public questions on the Southgate Post Office closure, the Affordable Housing Delivery Plan timeline, and the Ambridge Park CCTV outage; approval of the Scrutiny Work Programme for 2026; and the award of community safety grants totalling £87,500. The Mayor’s announcements recorded civic engagements including the Armed Forces Covenant signing and the opening of the Riverside Recreation Ground pavilion.